Alaska 2012 Days 7 & 8

Monday, August 20^th, Day 7

Today we’re heading for Homer.  First stop – Explorer Glacier!

Then through the tunnel into Whittier.  I had never been to Whittier and had heard of the tunnel that the train and automobiles take turns going through.  Since we were so close we had to go.

It’s a quaint little town surrounded by glacier covered mountains.

It was pouring down rain so we didn’t stay long.  Susie tried to enjoy the sights but was a little overwhelmed by the weather, hee hee!

A train came through the tunnel just as we were lining up to go back.  Then off we went to more adventures.

Some friends of ours have a daughter who owns a restaurant in Coopers Landing called the Kingfisher Roadhouse situated right along the Kenai River.  We stopped by and found it was closed until later in the day.

Fortunately she was at her little hot dog stand close by so we got to meet her, have a delicious Reindeer dog and a nice visit.  Man, I LOVE Alaska!  We’ve met so many new people and made so many new friends along the way!

Next we drove to Kenai where we drove to Beluga Lookout.  It was the low tide so didn’t see any whales but still a beautiful view!

We also stopped by to see the Russian Orthodox Church that was built in 1895.  It was built from logs in the shape of a ship.

We continued down the road along beautiful lakes, rivers and mountains dotted with glaciers until we arrived in Homer.  We stayed at the Land’s End hotel at the very end of the spit.

What a wonderful place to stay!  Our room looked out over the water where we watched the boats come in bringing in the catch of the day, and watched the sea otters playing.  And beyond, the beautiful snow topped mountains.

As much as we hated to leave the room, we knew we only had a few short hours in town so of course we had to head to the Salty Dawg Saloon for a drink, leave a dollar, and buy a t-shirt.

Are we tourists or what?

Then off to Captain Pattie’s for a delicious seafood dinner.  The best scallops and smoked salmon spread I’ve ever eaten!

Homer showed us a beautiful sunset at the end of the day.

Tuesday, Aug. 21st, Day 8
Our last day in Alaska

We got up in the morning and took one last look at the beautiful water, mountains & fishermen and said good-bye to the friendly sea otters and headed to the airport in Anchorage.

We pulled off to the side of the road and got a shot of yet another view of this beautiful state.

Thank you Alaska for another wonderful trip.  We’ll miss you!
Until next time!